Great Rock Albums of 1983: Frank Zappa- The Man From Utopia

If there was any more evidence to further my belief that 1983 was the year for humour in music, then it would have to be the album “The Man From Utopia” by Frank Zappa. For over a decade and a half before the release of this album, Frank had been successfully carrying out a two pronged assault of making some fantastic music while at the same time, making us laugh our asses off with his humourous lyrics. In the late 1970s, listening to Zappa was practically a requirement at my high school. 1983 would be the year that one of his songs would actually get airplay on commercial radio. Before that, his only access to radio play was via the Dr Demento Show. Yes, I know that “Valley Girl” broke into the top forty charts in 1982 but that song will always be associated with his daughter Moon.

Doctor Demento

That all changed when one day, while listening to the one decent rock station in Jacksonville, North Carolina, I heard the track “Cocaine Decisions.” Okay, the song never broke the top forty singles chart, but who really cares about that? I just thought it was great to hear Frank on the radio. True, “Cocaine Decisions” is an anti drug song. However, it is not aimed at the common man. Instead it pokes fun at all the high class executives who used to snort. There was a saying back in the 80s that went, “Cocaine was God’s way of telling you that you make too much money.” Frank’s song parodies that.

The rest of the album consists of everything that Frank Zappa has been doing to entertain us for all those years. There are a load of great parody songs on the album. At first, I thought “The Radio is Broken” was going to be about a broken radio. Instead, Frank is being a kind of prophet here. It would only be less than two years later when, in my view, commercial radio started to suck. This song is about that.

Then there’s “The Dangerous Kitchen.” This one takes the piss out of the rising health and safety culture and look where it is now these days. The track “The Jazz Discharge Party Hats” rips on musicians trying to get laid after every gig. However, my favourite track on “The Man From Utopia” is “The Man From Utopia Meets Mary Lou.” While the song is done with the usual Zappa sense of humour, there is a serious side to it. It’s about a down trodden housewife who gets away but then gets revenge by fleecing men. It is on this track that Ray White’s underrated vocals come out. Oh yes, “Sex” is a pretty funny track too.

If I were to nit pick anything about the album, it would be the absence of Frank Zappa’s guitar playing ability. He doesn’t go into any great solos and it could be said that there is a lack of guitar great Steve Vai’s skills. Honestly, I’m not really bothered. There are three instrumentals, “Tink Walks Amok,” “We’re Not Alone” and “Moggio,” on the album and they all boast the great musicianship from the people Frank gets to play on his albums. I think that “The Man From Utopia” might be his best album since “Joe’s Garage Act 1.”

Track Listing (CD)

Cocaine Decisions

Sex

Tink Walks Amok

The Radio is Broken

We’re Not Alone

The Dangerous Kitchen

The Man From Utopia Meets Mary Lou

Stick Together

The Jazz Discharge Party Hats

Luigi and the Wise Guys

Moggio

Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa- vocals, guitar, drum machine

Steve Vai- guitars

Ray White- guitar, vocals

Roy Estrada- vocals

Bob Harris- boy soprano

Ike Willis- vocals

Bobby Martin- keyboards, saxophone, vocals

Tommy Mars- keyboards

Arthur Barrow- bass, rhythm guitar, keyboards

Ed Mann- percussion

Scott Thunes- bass

Chris Wackerman- drums

Vinnie Colaiuta- drums

Craig Twister Stewart- harmonica

Dick Fegy- mandolin

Marty Krystall- saxophone

Frank Zappa was still going strong in 1983 as “The Man From Utopia” shows. After all, if 1983 was a year for humour in music to step forward, it wouldn’t have been able to do so without Frank.

I have also made a rather disappointing discovery. As a teen forty years ago, I thought that by now, 2015, wars would no longer exist but there would be ROLLERBALL!

I don’t know who made the decisions regarding the remixes. I didn’t even know about it. Then I posted a Zappa review a couple years ago and a helpful reader posted a link to a whole directory of all the changes over all the different Zappa reissues. It was stupifying. But somebody had the patience to listen and catalog the changes!

Great piece and really interesting to hear how the album went down in the States when it came out in ’83. It was probably my third Zappa purchase. I first became obsessed with ‘Sheik Yerbouti’, then got hold of ‘Ship Arriving Too Late’ and then this. I think this is probably the most insane album of Frank’s career! However, I don’t know what they did to the remix when it was re-released recently, they stuck loads of horrible digital reverb on Wackerman’s snare drum… I wish I still had my original cassette copy…

Thank you Matt and remind me never to listen to the remix. Wackerman was a good enough drummer that they didn’t have to do anything to them. I have visited both the Zappa albums you mention in previous posts.

Oh, one of the remixes of ‘Cocaine Decisions’ is so horrible… I agree with you, there was absolutely nothing wrong with Chad’s original drum sound: dry, bright and clear. The track on ‘Utopia’ that I still listen to a lot is ‘Moggio’, stunning composition.